LET'S TALK WITH SAMANTHA SORABELLA, FOUNDER & SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR AT CAPEOLOGY
L E T ’ S T A L K… with Samantha!
In November 2020, I had the opportunity to interview Samantha Sorabella. Samantha majored in Marketing with a minor in Sociology at Bentley University, where she graduated from in 2017. While at Bentley, she was involved in both academic and extracurricular experiences that deepened her understanding of how to utilize social media as a digital marketing channel. As a student, Samantha worked with Bentley University’s marketing department and managed the @bentleyu official Instagram page and supplementary social channels of the university. While taking an e-marketing course during her junior year, Samantha decided to create an Instagram page dedicated to sharing the photos she had been taking while spending her summers in Cape Cod. When Samantha first created @capeology, it was simply a hobby that her manager in the marketing department recommended she maintain. Little did she know, this Instagram page would ultimately grow into a platform that elevates the digital presence of many local Cape Cod photographers and businesses.
Samantha can pinpoint a moment in Capeology’s primal stage when she first realized that there was opportunity for the brand to grow– a local photographer tagged her page in his post. She introduced her #capeology branded hashtag, encouraging other photographers and vacation goers to tag their photos as well. Samantha then reposted the user generated content, fulfilling her mission of “sharing the beauty of Cape Cod, one post at a time”.
After graduating from Bentley, Samantha worked at Vistaprint as a Marketing Specialist. In 2018, Samantha transitioned into the role of Social Media Analyst at a digital marketing agency. Feeling unsatisfied with her experience, Samantha began seeking new opportunities. All the while, Samantha had continued to post on her @capeology account which by this time had grown to about 35,000 followers. Just as Samantha was about to transition to a new company, she noticed that the job offer letter was a bit sketchy and felt that it was a sign for her to take a break from working in a corporate atmosphere. At a crossroads, Samantha identified this moment as an opportunity to take her business to the next level. Now able to supplement her passion and already successful online presence with digital marketing experience, Samantha shifted into managing the Capeology brand as her full-time role.
While maintaining the Capeology page alongside her other professional commitments, Samantha had been hosting giveaway events on the page for free. Additionally, she was generating testimonials and credibility that offered her the qualifications needed to begin monetizing her online presence. When she transitioned to working with the page full-time, she introduced a fee for the giveaways which she continued to increase. This yielded Capeology’s initial main revenue stream – brand partnerships. Shortly after, Samantha decided to expand her brand by introducing a product she had dreamt of designing for years: a Cape Cod ring. With the support of Capeology’s substantial social media following and brand loyalty, she decided to pursue the process of introducing and selling a product. The successful implementation of a jewelry line strengthened the Capeology brand and enabled it to transcend the bounds of digital media.
Extending the Capeology brand into the jewelry manufacturing and e-commerce space necessitated an extension of the business model. After spending about six months working with designers, finding a manufacturer, receiving samples, placing orders, investing personal capital, building a Shopify digital storefront, and creating promotional content, the Cape Cod ring was ready for retail. Samantha announced the launch of the product on the Capeology page and it sold out in two hours – quite a success! However, this endeavor also presented Samantha with new obstacles... after learning of some quality issues with the product, she took a closer look at her supply chain processes and decided to seek out a different manufacturer to create a more durable product.
Samantha ultimately introduced a redesigned ring, which has been followed by additional successful jewelry launches. Today, the @capeology page has 91.2k followers and the team behind the brand remains quite small; though Samantha might consider bringing on an intern at some point, she currently works as a team of one.
Samantha identified key moments of growth for her brand. For the first four years of working to grow the page, Samantha achieved a following of about 30,000 users. When she transitioned to working on the brand full time, her page grew exponentially and she amassed about 40,000 additional followers in just one year (more than doubling her audience). When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Samantha was able to use her page to amplify small businesses and her content plan was fully booked two months out for the first time ever. This experience taught Samantha some of the necessary aspects of being an entrepreneur: learning to be positive, adaptable, and goal oriented.
Samantha expressed that she really enjoys “being her own boss” and having flexibility and freedom. However, this comes with the responsibility of handling all aspects of the business - everything from customer service to accounting. A tradeoff Samantha experiences as an entrepreneur- especially one working in the digital media and online retail space- is having to work through the normal work week as well as at night, on weekends, and on holidays.
Samantha’s advice for anyone who is seeking to launch a successful brand in the digital media space is to trust your intuition, be adaptable, be a go getter, and find a team or group of friends that can provide honest input and feedback. Samantha’s story about her social media -based entrepreneurial endeavor offered great insight into how she turned a hobby into a brand, and a brand into a full-time career. I really enjoyed chatting with Samantha and learning more about the Capeology brand!
Be sure to check out the Capeology site here, and the Instagram page here!
Stay tuned and talk soon,
